Emiliano Martinez backed all of his incessant trash-talking with skill as Argentina booked their spot in the 2021 Copa America final after getting past Colombia on penalties.
An early goal by Lautaro Martinez set the tone for Argentina to ease their path into Sunday’s final against the already-qualified Brazil, but Luis Diaz struck back for Colombia to make the score read one apiece at the end of regulation time.
As per the new CONMEBOL rules, the match directly went to spot-kicks instead of adding extra time – the Albiceleste would have to endure the pain of penalties again to have a shot at winning the South American title.
But if it was a pain for anyone, it was the Colombian players who were rattled out of the semi-final by trash-talking Argentina players, especially their goalkeeper.
Watching Emiliano Martinez during the shoot-out was something else as the Aston Villa goalkeeper was seen to be engaging in all sorts of mind games from under the crossbar, as he intimidated Mina into missing his spot-kick.
Martinez saved a total of three penalties as the Albiceleste booked a date in the final with defending champions and hosts Brazil on Sunday.
